The Kidnapping
by miss-suga13
Summary: A harmless Comic-Con leads to a much more harmful kidnaping...


Ok. This story focuses mainly around Ryan and the Cohens, but there is some Summer, Marissa, etc. Sorry if my stories are so drama-drama, but I can't do funny. It's just not in me. Pardonnez moi. I OWN THE OC! Actually that's a lie. I'm a liar. I admit it. Ok, I don't own the O.C., or Seth or Ryan, or the actors who play them (Benjamin McKenzie, Adam Brody) or their asses. Oops. I meant... yeah, I meant asses.   
  
"Dude, we're gonna be late!" He was getting impatient. Ryan was taking way too long, and even Summer was getting bored. Although, she was probably getting ready to take a long nap during Seth's comic book convention. God, he was a nerd. And he knew she loved him for it. He looked at her stare at her nails, making sure they were perfect. Ryan came bounding down the stairs, obviously not that happy to be looking at comic books for a whole day. He would much rather be pawing at Marissa. Or Theresa. Or whoever the hell he was with. But he was pretty sure it was Marissa. He watched the blonde haired boy give him a small smile and strap on his leather wrist cuff. His ridiculously stupid wrist cuff. Seth was glad that he had "accidentally" thrown out Ryan's choker when he brought his stuff from Chino. And by stuff he did mean a leather wrist cuff, a choker, and the very clothes on his back.   
  
"Good. Finally. Took you long enough." said Seth, waving manically towards the door. Summer gave him a kiss on the lips before running off towards the Range Rover. She started the car as Ryan and Seth walked over. Well, Seth walked, Ryan trudged. He wasn't exactly feeling that great today, and sitting, or worse, standing for the whole day was going to be really annoying. His stomach had bothered him all of the day before, but he didn't tell Sandy or Seth. And he especially didn't plan on telling Kirsten. Because then she would take care of him. And he wasn't used to being taken care of. Summer sat in the drivers seat, completely taking over for Seth. "Sit down, Cohen." she ordered. Ryan couldn't help a smile. Seth had thought he was whipped by Marissa, and look at him now.  
  
"Um, do you even know where we're going?" asked Seth, amused. "No, not really, but-" Seth cut her off with a quick: "Ok. So I'm driving. Shove over." Summer glared at him. "I'm not moving. I'm driving." Seth rolled his eyes. "Oh this is great. Just freakin' fantastic. Move, Summer. I will not get lost on the day of days, my favorite day ever. Comic-Con is like, THE day, Summer. Please do not deny me THE day." He gave her puppy dog eyes, but she stood her ground. "Seth, I'm sure she knows where it is. Unless you wanna be late, just let her drive." Seth opened his mouth to stare at Ryan. "Dude, that's like, betrayal. You're supposed to have my back, and there you are, taking her side."   
  
He shook his head. "Shut up Cohen." said Summer, looking back in the mirror. She fixed her lipstick and looked back at a pale looking Ryan. "Hey Ryan, are you ok?" Ryan looked at her, his eyes wide. Damn. She'd noticed. Ryan nodded, a half smile on his face. "Oh, so now you're all about caring for Ryan, huh?" asked Seth in mock anger. Summer, however, didn't quite catch the fact that he was just kidding. "Oh, so you're jealous now?" she asked, serious. Seth replied with a steady stream of inaudible mumbles. Ryan, in the back seat, sighed quietly, looking out the window. It was back to quiet by the time Summer started driving down the road.   
  
Ryan closed his eyes, the quick movements of the outdoors making him nauseous. "Dude, you look pale." said Seth. Ryan opened his eyes. "Huh?" he asked, peering over at Seth. "I said you look pale. You need your hearing fixed." said Seth with a smile. It was obvious there were no hard feelings from the "jealousy" mentioned before. "Oh, yeah. I'm just...motion sickness I guess." Seth narrowed his eyes. He saw right through him, but he understood Ryan would tell them if it got serious. "Alright." he said, his eyes on the road again. "Summer, if you get us lost, I swear on all things holy- and by that I mean all my comic books- that I will destroy you."   
  
Summer cackled. "Yeah, that's it, Seth." she said, pressing her lips together and looking back inconspicuously at Ryan. Chino looked pale. And sick. She decided not to press the matter until they got to Comic-Fest. Or Comic-Con. Or whatever Seth's stupid thing was called. They almost drove past the big red, yellow, green, and blue sign over the big door. It wasn't as far away as she had thought, near a big, abandoned warehouse and the highway. They parked the car, and a giddy Seth twitched in his seat.   
  
He couldn't believe he was so excited to be going to a Comic-Con. I mean, come on. He decided he was a geek, and jumped out of the car. Summer followed, slightly less excited, and Ryan went out after her, his head down. Seth ran up to the entrance, looking back at the two. He paid the admission fees for all three of them and gave them the tickets. He seemed so excited about it, that Ryan raised an eyebrow. It had seemed to him that Seth was becoming less dorky every day, but it appeared to be that he had just held it all in until now.   
  
There was so much to see. He started off with a little Legion, Titans, X-Men. He bought everything within sight. He saw many others doing the same. He chanced a look back at his brother and girlfriend, only to see that one was very bored, and the other was very sick. He stopped purchasing and brought his bags of comics over to them. "Hey Summer, now I understand your shopping syndrome." Summer smiled slightly. She was still mad at him and he could tell. Her smile faltered when a big Wolverine costumed man walked passed her. "Oh my god. Ew. I'm at a Comic-Con. I have to get out of here." Seth tried to get her to stay, but she trounced past him. Seth stared at her leaving the building in shock before looking at Ryan. He was smiling. "Why the hell are you smiling?" he asked, only slightly hurt.   
  
"Because this is basically the reason why you dumped Anna." Seth frowned. "You remember Anna?" joked Ryan, bugging his eyes out. Seth laughed. "Yeah dude. I remember her." Ryan shrugged. "Well, you dumped her because you guys agreed on everything. You wanted a yin to your yang. And you got it." Seth paused, contemplating the situation. "Oh my Moses, you're right. Dude, you are like a relationship master!" He patted Ryan on the back. He flinched, and grew paler.   
  
"Dude, you ok?" asked Seth. Ryan shook his head. "Where's the bathroom?" he asked quietly. "Outside." replied Seth, concerned. "Crap. You had to pick the Comic-Fest that didn't have indoor bathrooms." he whispered, getting up. He started walking out, and Seth followed him, bags in hand. "Here, follow me." he said, pulling Ryan by the arm. He walked quickly, but didn't forget to get his hand stamped. Ryan scowled at him when he stopped to ask the man to stamp him. He laughed it off, pointing to the porta potties. They broke into a quick jog until they got there. Ryan shoved Seth aside and opened the door. Seth shrugged, sat down, and picked up one of his many new comic books. He could tell by the sound of Ryan puking that he was going to be in there for a while, so he picked up the new Legion and began reading.   
  
* * *  
  
Summer grabbed her purse and pulled out a piece of gum. She put it in her mouth and started chewing. "Yumm...Juicy Fruit." she mumbled. She sat on the grass beside the Range Rover, taking in the sun. She really shouldn't have given Seth back his keys. Now she was stuck outside instead of inside where there was air conditioning and a radio. "I really am a princess." she muttered to herself. She didn't want to be fighting with Cohen. No really, she didn't. She loved him, even though she'd never told him. He was special. He was different from the other boys. He really liked her. Her bubble gum popped and she sighed. She was behind the car, and she looked at the black van that was parking beside her, indifferent.  
  
"Hey, could you give me some directions?" asked the man, getting out of the car. He had a piece of paper with him, and a pen. Summer shrugged. "Sure." The man looked around. He was surprisingly nervous. He saw nothing except a few geeks, a car or two, and five portable bathrooms. He smiled. "Great." he muttered. "Where do you want to go?" she asked with an exasperated sigh. He wasn't even cute. He was bald. She fought hard not to "Ew!" him. He had a tattoo on his arm. She could tell it wasn't the only one he had. It was a cross with the word 'Faithless' above it. She had no idea why she was even helping him.  
  
"There." she said unhappily, handing him the piece of paper and flipping her hair. "Thank you." he said with a smirk. Summer felt strong arms suddenly pull her back, and she screamed. She looked behind her to see a fat man grabbing her arms behind her. She screamed again. She opened her mouth to scream for a third time but his chubby hand covered it. She kept on screaming, her desperate attempts at freedom muffled by his hand. She tried to kick out but couldn't. He was holding on too tight. She managed one kick, striking the bald man. He swore and walked towards her menacingly. "Stupid bitch." he said, pulling his hand back to strike her. But someone grabbed his wrist before he could.   
  
* * *  
  
"Dude, are we ok?" asked Seth when the sounds subsided. "Yeah..." he heard Ryan mumble from inside the latrine. "Are you sure?" he asked, smiling. "Yeah!" said Ryan, the annoyance obvious in his voice. "Are you sure?" he asked again. "Seth, when I get out of here I'm going to kick your ass." said Ryan. Seth could tell he was joking. "And when is that going to be?" he asked, putting down his comic book and getting up to stretch. "I dunno, pretty soon I-" he didn't get to finish the sentence before his stomach revolted again and he vomited into the toilet. He groaned. "I guess not so soon." said Seth with a sigh.   
  
He heard a scream from behind the Range Rover. It caught his attention, and he ran towards it. Another scream. He was sure it sounded like Summer. He was dumbfounded when he saw the sight in front of him. Summer was being held back by a fat man, and she was trying to kick out. She kicked the man in front of her, and then Seth ran towards her. The man pulled his hand back, but he grabbed his wrist. "Get away from my girlfriend." he said, anger pulsing through his veins. The bald man sneered. "Let go of me, fuckhead." he said, making his other hand into a fist. Seth tightened his grip. "Tell him to let go of my girlfriend." he said, staring the man straight in the eye. The punch caught him by surprise, but he reacted quickly, drawing his hand back to punch. It turned out his three punches were worth one of the bald man.  
  
During the confusion, Summer managed to kick the fat man in the shin and pull free of his grasp. She ran to the other side of the truck, hoping they'd stay away from her. She tried to open the door , but remembered that Cohen had the keys. She cursed and screamed. She went to the other side of the car again carefully, trying not to get noticed. She broke into tears and fell to the floor. Seth was getting beat up by the bald man. She wouldn't-couldn't take him off her Seth. Her boyfriend was getting trounced and she couldn't do anything about it. She took a deep breath and worked up her courage. She wouldn't let him get anymore hurt than he already was.   
  
She kicked the bald man as hard as she could, impressed by the damage her pointy heels caused. She managed to pull him off slightly before the fat man noticed her again and grabbed her arms. She was angrier than before, and she kicked and screamed to get out of his grasp. Seth was bloody, but awake. The bald man, or as the others called him, Faithless, backed off of Seth and walked closer to her. She was really scared now, but she looked at Seth for reassurance. He was looking at her, trying to get up. She was relieved that he didn't look as hurt as she thought he was, and he managed to get up to his knees before another man kicked him back down. He decided to stay there for now, happy that the punching had stopped.  
  
* * *  
  
Ryan finally stopped puking. The last batch had only lasted a few seconds, and he was relieved. He washed his hands thoroughly, making sure he was clean. He washed his mouth out and dried himself. He slowly opened the door and closed one eye as the sun glared in it. He faintly saw something nearby. It looked like Seth. But it couldn't be, because this guy was on the ground, hurt. Seth couldn't piss anyone off enough to get them to beat him that bad. And there was a girl getting pulled towards a van. He soon realized it was Summer and decided to take action. He ran up, getting his cell phone out immediately and turning it on before putting it back in his pocket.   
  
He grabbed the man holding Summer, surprising him, and punched him in the jaw. He fell back, dazed. He gained his composure quickly, and was soon hitting Ryan. Ryan managed to get a few shots in, but the man was huge, so it was obvious to see he was losing the battle. He caught sight of Summer dragging Seth to the other side of the van. He didn't know why no one was following them, but he had a vague idea. They weren't very organized. They didn't know who the hell they were supposed to be beating up. Or killing.   
  
Summer was holding Seth in her arms. "Hey sexy..." said Seth, one eye closed. "Hey Seth." she said, smiling down at him. "You ok?" he asked, touching her face. She nodded. "I'm fine. How about you?" He shrugged. "I'm ok, I guess." he said, smiling back at her. "Thank you so much for helping me, Seth." she said, tearing up. He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't let anyone hurt you." He looked over at Ryan, who was getting hit, and started to get up. "Seth, what are you doing?" she asked, pulling him down again. "I have to help Ryan." he said. Summer looked over at Ryan, who was now slipping away from the man. "Looks like he doesn't need our help." she said, pointing at him.  
  
He got one good shot in, and managed to confuse his opponent enough that he could slip away. He soon found Seth and Summer, and stood in front of them. He was considerably bruised, although not as bad as Seth was. He tried to make himself look bigger by standing with his arms out. The men laughed and Faithless advanced towards him. "Stay back." said Ryan, pointing a finger at the man. He sneered at him, and advanced a step. "Stay back or I call the cops." said Ryan, taking out his cell phone. He flipped it open. Faithless attempted to look undeterred, but stopped walking towards the boy. "You know we could easily kill all three of you." he said, taking out a gun. Ryan twitched a bit, but was otherwise motionless. He wasn't going to show his fear.  
  
Faithless looked around. People were starting to notice what was happening, and if they paid enough attention, they might see what he wanted to do. He motioned his gang to back off, and slowly walked backwards towards the van. He got in. Ryan looked at the license plate, memorizing it. He waited until the van was out of sight before collapsing next to Summer and Seth. Seth was momentarily worried about him, but he immediately looked up and smiled, his blonde hair ruffled. Seth held out his fist and Ryan did the same. They fist bopped while Summer watched, blank faced. She was trying to act like she wasn't scared out of her mind, but it wasn't working. She was shaking, and Seth noticed. "It's ok, Sum. Everything's ok." She nodded disbelievingly, but allowed herself a small smile.   
  
Ryan started feeling sick again, his stomach revolting violently inside of him. He turned over, and getting as far away as he could from Summer and Seth, he purged his system again. Summer cringed, and Seth tried to hide his disgust with a joke. "Ew, dude that was as grotty as mom and dad making out." Ryan laughed a little bit and wiped his face. He stretched out on the grass, exhausted. "There's only one thing worse than puking for fifteen minutes." he said. Seth raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, what's that?" Ryan gave him a lopsided smile. "Getting beat up afterwards." Seth laughed, but none of them were ok, despite their attempts at making it seem so, but they each thought they needed to be tough for each other, for whatever reason.   
  
"Babe, could you please get my comics before we go?" asked Seth, giving Summer puppy dog eyes. She groaned, but still got up and started walking towards the porta-potties. "That was, uh...scary as hell..." said Seth with a half smile. "Yeah." said Ryan underneath his breath. "You wanna call the cops?" asked Ryan, sitting up. "Nah. Mom and Dad will be worried enough without us being brought home by a police car." He paused. "Or an ambulance." Ryan frowned. "Do you want us to take you to the hospital, Seth?" he asked. Seth shook his head. "Naw, man, it's cool. I'm fine, I just never really get all that beat up. Not like you..." he grinned mischievously. Ryan smiled back.  
  
"Ok, here Cohen. Now can we PLEASE go?" She dropped the bags of comic books on the ground next to Seth, who picked them up lovingly. "Seth, you got a pen?" asked Ryan, making sure he didn't forget the license plate. Seth nodded, and gave him a pen. He watched Ryan scribble something on his hand. "Ok." he said. Seth tried to stand up. "Here, let me help you." said Summer kindly, grabbing him by his underarms and pulling him up gently. He put his arm over her shoulders and let her help him.   
  
She moved towards Ryan. "Do you need help, Ryan? Or are you going to be the brooding bad boy who doesn't need any help from anyone?" Ryan laughed. "The second one." he smiled as he got up, staggering as he got on his feet. He did, however, put his arm over Summer's shoulders for support. She walked the boys over to the car and pulled the back door open. Seth got in first, followed by Ryan. The light at the top of the car illuminated Seth's face, showing off how hurt he really was. The cut above his eyebrow was probably the work of a ring, and the bruises were blossoming on his face by the minute.   
  
Ryan was a completely different story. He didn't look all that bad, but he felt ten times worse than Seth. The fat man, Sweet Lou, had punched him more than a few times in the stomach. Each time he did, it made him want to pass out. Or at least vomit. He was just now starting to feel the pain that had bothered all day again. Except this time, it was much worse. He watched Summer nervously drive home, going as fast as she could. Ryan just hoped she wouldn't get pulled over.  
  
The car came to a halt. Summer changed the gear to Park and took out the keys. She ran around to the other side of the Range Rover, opening the door for Seth. She helped him out and closed the door, scrambling off to help Ryan. She got there a little late, and he was carefully stepping out of the car, heedful of his stomach. He threw an arm over her shoulders, and they shuffled into the house. They were walking slower than before, not wanting Kirsten and Sandy to find them. Seth couldn't walk all that quickly, and despite the fact that Summer was helping, he didn't want to put any extra weight on her slender figure. Ryan thought the same. Summer looked at him, and saw his knees suddenly buckle. "Woah..." said Ryan, crumbling to the ground. Summer didn't let him go very far, though, pulling him up with strength not even Seth knew she had.   
  
"There. You ok?" asked Summer. Ryan nodded. "Sorry..." he whispered. "That's ok. But next time, I'm letting you fall." She giggled, and Seth accompanied her with a chuckle. "That's funny...Summer, do you mind dropping me off on the couch?" said Ryan. Summer nodded and they changed direction, taking only a minute to get to the couch. Summer knelt beside the couch, and Ryan slipped off. He gave her a small "Thanks" and lay down on the soft couch. He closed his eyes and was out cold. Seth reached for a blanket and covered him with it. "Aw, isn't that sweet." said Summer, grinning at him. "Brotherly love." Seth amused her by pounding his chest twice with his fist. "Ok. Now to deal with the parentals." They both had an easier time getting to the kitchen, now that Summer could focus more on helping Seth.   
  
Sandy looked up, his eyebrows raised. "Hey, you guys are early! I thought you were gonna camp out for a couple days–" He stopped, noticing his son's injuries for the first time. "Oh my god, Seth...what the hell happened?" he asked, relieving Summer of her duties to help Seth onto the stool. His face was drawn with worry, and Summer felt bad for him. "Ryan. Where's Ryan?" he suddenly asked, looking around the room as if expecting him to jump out from behind the counter. His heart started racing, and he looked back at Seth for reassurance. "Ryan's fine, dad. Chill out. He's passed out on the couch." He attempted to smile, but failed when his father's face showed more fear than before.   
  
"He's unconscious? He's-- he's more hurt than you?" asked Sandy, stuttering to find the right words. "No, dad. I worded that wrong. He was sick, and so he's really tired." Sandy frowned, but thought it better to concentrate on Seth for now. He sat next to him, examining the wounds on his face. "Now. What happened?" Seth looked down. Summer fiddled anxiously with her fingers, wondering if she should leave. They were interrupted by Kirsten, who came bounding down the stairs. "Honey, about that party tonight-- Seth! Oh god, what happened to you?" Seth looked up, his fretful mother hovering over him. "That seems to be a very popular question..." muttered Seth. Kirsten went to check on him, touching the gash above his eyebrow. He flinched.  
  
"Summer, sweetie, could you go get the first-aid kit?" Summer nodded, walking out of the room. "Ok now son. You're telling us what happens. Now." said Sandy, trying to sound harsh, but failing at the sight of Seth's face. Kirsten glared at her husband. "Sandy. Hall. Now. Hmm?" Sandy nodded, following his wife into the hall, but not before telling Seth to stay put. "Where's Ryan?" asked Kirsten once they were out of earshot. Sandy pointed to the couch where a blanket covered Ryan lay. "You take Ryan, I'll take Seth." said Kirsten. "And don't stop 'till you get the truth." Pointing a finger at him, she narrowed her eyes. He raised his hands, nodding. "Good luck." he added, giving her a kiss on the cheek.   
  
Sandy walked over to Ryan, looking at his face. It was also bruised, but not as badly as Seth's. He brushed the hair away from his face, surprised at how young the boy looked. He didn't even stir when he said his name. He said it louder. He wondered if maybe he was faking, but discarded the idea when he mumbled something in his sleep. He gently shook him, and he stirred slightly. He shook him harder, quietly saying his name. He sighed in relief when Ryan slowly opened his eyes, looking at him. He looked at peace, if a little pale, but he soon changed his mood once he became aware of his surroundings. "Where am I?" he asked, his voice rough and scratchy. "Where'd Seth go?" he asked again, his eyes wandering. "Oh. Right. I forgot."   
  
He rubbed his eyes with his hands, aware of the pain in his stomach that threatened to send him to the bathroom once more. He didn't know when Sandy had gotten there, but his presence was welcomed. "You feelin' alright, kid?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. Ryan nodded. Sandy looked unconvinced. "Just a little sick." said Ryan, sitting up. "You wanna tell me what happened to Seth? And you, for that matter?" Ryan grimaced, holding his stomach.   
  
"We went to Seth's Comic-Con thing, Summer and him had a fight, she ran off to the car, I guess." He paused, taking a shaky breath. "I got sick. Went to go, uh," He tried to find a nice way to put it. "Vomit." he blushed, embarrassed. "I was there for fifteen minutes, I think. Came out, and I saw Seth on the ground near the car. Summer was there too. She was being...held back by some guy. I went over there and tried to get them away from her and Seth...it sort of worked, but I, uh, got some bruises for it." He pointed at his face. "I told them to get away from them or I'd call the cops." He sighed. "They pulled a gun on us, but I guess they saw some people who were gonna notice, and they backed off." He looked down at the floor, his voice unsteady. If he'd have looked up, he would have seen the fear in Sandy's eyes. "He pulled a gun on you guys?" Ryan nodded.  
  
"Oh wow. I'm so glad you guys are ok." said Sandy, his eyes filling with tears. He went in for a hug, not seeing the flash of pain on Ryan's face. He pulled back. "Did you get the license pla--" He didn't get to finish his question before Ryan put his hand up, showing of the six little numbers on it. Sandy wrote it down on a piece of paper that he put in his pocket. He looked at Ryan and smiled. Ryan grimaced in return. Sandy put the back of his hand on Ryan's head. "You're burning up, son..." he whispered, taking his hand back. Ryan frowned. "I'm ok, really." Sandy shook his head. "You're really pale, too." Ryan pulled away from Sandy. "I'm ok. For real." Sandy saw him flinch when he got close to him again, and he kept his distance. "Ok. I understand that you don't want our attention, Ryan. But you're sick. I can tell. And I want you to go to bed and get some rest, alright?" Ryan sighed and nodded. He watched Sandy get up and extend his hand. "Here, let me help you up." he said. Ryan shook his head.  
  
"Please let me help you." said Sandy, looking at Ryan earnestly. He didn't know why he was being so distant. He thought he was probably still scared from what had happened, but didn't want to let his fear show. Ryan shook his head, steadying himself by using the couch. He got to his feet and shuffled off towards the sliding door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sandy following him. He heard Seth talking to Kirsten in the other room. He slid the door open and stepped out, the now evening air refreshing. He suddenly felt really dizzy. The sight in front of him started to spin and he felt the need to lie down. For the second time that day, his knees buckled, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.   
  
Sandy was happy that he had followed his son. A few seconds after he stepped outside, he saw him stop. His knees gave way and he started falling to the ground. Sandy stepped forward to grab him, catching him mid-air. Ryan was unconscious, and Sandy gently sat him up. He threw him over his shoulder, surprised at how much he weighed. He managed to carry him over to the pool house and lay him down on the bed. He pulled back the covers and put them over Ryan. He clapped rather loudly near his face, hoping he'd wake up. He was disappointed when he didn't.   
  
He tucked him in, reassured by the slow rise and fall of the boy's chest. "I'll be back in a few minutes." he whispered, stepping out of the pool house. He walked back to the house, listening to Kirsten's conversation with Seth. He noticed that Summer had gone home. He knocked on the door to the den. Seth and Kirsten looked up. He noticed that Kirsten had put bandages on Seth's cuts and scrapes. "How's Ryan?" asked Kirsten. "Yeah...we're gonna have to have a talk in the hall." said Sandy, looking at Seth. Kirsten stepped out, closing the door behind her. They told Ryan and Seth's stories respectively, not finding any faults. "So how is Ryan?" asked Kirsten. Sandy shrugged. "Maybe you should come see for yourself."  
  
They walked outside as Sandy explained what happened. "I was following him but giving him his space, when I saw him stop. He knees buckled and he fell. I caught him and put him in the pool house. He's ok, I think. Just unconscious." Kirsten furrowed her eyebrows. He ran a hand through his hair. "Poor Ryan. Seth said he had been sick since yesterday." Kirsten surprised him with that comment. "And he still went to Comic-Con? Wow. Now that's a brother." They opened the door to the pool house. Sandy went over to the bed, only to find it empty. He spun around in a circle, looking for him. Kirsten noticed his anguish. "Where is he?" she asked, her voice rising. "I don't know... I left him here... he was sleeping!" Sandy ran to the kitchen, looked around, and came back.  
  
"RYAN?" he yelled. "Ryan, are you in here?" there was no response. "RYAN?!" screamed Kirsten. They heard a toilet flush. The door knob of the bathroom moved around, and a very pale Ryan came out. "Sorry... I couldn't hear you." Sandy and Kirsten both sighed in relief. They went over to help Ryan get to the bed. This time, he didn't refuse their help. They helped him sit on the bed and tucked him in. "I didn't think there was anything else to puke..." he said with a weak smile. "Ryan, when did the stomach pains start?" asked Kirsten while she covered him up with blankets. "Uh, today... in the car. It was motion sickness." Kirsten and Sandy gave each other a look and then looked back at Ryan. "That's not what Seth said." said Kirsten quietly.  
  
"You don't have to lie to us, and frankly, I find no reason for you to do so. When did you actually start feeling sick?" Ryan sighed. "Yesterday morning. Seth was really looking forward to this Comic-Con thing, so I didn't tell him. I didn't know he had noticed." Sandy smiled. "It's amazing how much Seth pays more attention than you give him credit for." Ryan nodded. "And... do you remember your little fainting outside on the patio?" asked Sandy. Ryan frowned. "No... what happened?" Sandy ruffled his hair. "You passed out! Had me very scared! I didn't know whether I should call an ambulance or not." Ryan looked guilty. "Sorry... I just, don't handle stomach pain very well. I didn't mean to scare you..."  
  
Sandy shook his head. "I wasn't scared, I was worried. And you don't have to be sorry. It's our job to fret and worry about you." Ryan allowed himself a small smile. "I feel better now though, so you don't have to worry. I'm... not really comfortable with it..." Sandy looked confused. "You're not comfortable with us what? Being parents? Well you're going to deal with it because that's what we do. We can't... not." Ryan stifled a laugh. "Now. You're not going to work tomorrow." Ryan stopped him "I wasn't going anyways. Remember? I took a couple of days off work to go to Comic-Con?" Sandy nodded, remembering. "Ok. I'm gonna go get you some soup and some Pepto Bismol. Ryan made a face. "Please. No food. I just puked up everything I'd had for the past 48 hours, and I don't think I'm up to doing it again.  
  
Kirsten nodded. "How 'bout some water?" Ryan grimaced, but nodded. She put a hand on his cheek. "Don't worry, sweetie. We'll take good care of you. Have you up and punching in no time." Ryan smiled. Sandy had gone off to the bathroom to get the first-aid kit. "I completely forgot to take care of your injuries, Ryan. I'm sorry." he said, walking up to the bed. Kirsten took the kit out of his hands. "I'll do this. You go get some water and the Pepto." Sandy smiled and left, waving at Ryan as he left.   
  
"Ok. This might sting." said Kirsten, finding the antiseptic. He didn't hiss, didn't make a sound. It amazed her. Seth had whined and acted like she was slowly killing him. Ryan didn't even flinch. Well, actually, he did, but it was so well hidden that she barely noticed. "There. Done." she said, putting the bandage on. "Where else did you get punched? Or kicked?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Uh, my stomach, but there are no scratches on it or anything." Kirsten looked disturbed. "Is that why you felt so much worse?" she asked. He gave her a half smile. "Well, it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't the greatest either." At her worried expression, he continued. "It's fine, really. It's over, and it wasn't all that bad. I'm just... making it seem worse." She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't respond.   
  
"Ok, I'll make you a deal. I'll TRY to stop fussing over you, if you promise to get some rest." Ryan nodded hopefully, and rested his head on the pillow. She told him stories about Seth to get him to fall asleep easier, making him promise not to tell Seth she told him. Because that would be considered betrayal. She soon saw his breathing slow down, and she leaned in to kiss him on the temple. "Good night, Ryan." she said quietly. "Good night, mom..." he muttered back, his eyes still closed. She smiled a genuine smile at his comment and left the room.   
  
* * *   
  
Sorry about never updating my other stories, but I get bored and immediately start another story. Not to fear, I will finish the other ones when I get an inspiration, but for now, this is my heart. Hope you like. By the by, this is more of an intro. The actual *cough* kidnaping *cough* comes later on. 


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